The US Justice Department warned companies on Thursday against exploiting supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to fix prices.

“Temporary supply chain disruptions should not be allowed to conceal illegal conduct,” Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter said in a statement. “The Antitrust Division will not allow companies to collude in order to overcharge consumers under the guise of supply chain disruptions,” Kanter said.

Luis Quesada, assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division at the FBI, said “the lingering challenge of supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for criminals to fix prices and overcharge customers.

The lingering challenge of supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for criminals to fix prices and overcharge customers.- Luis Quesada, assistant director, FBI Criminal Investigative Division

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to collaborate and investigate schemes that violate our antitrust laws and stifle our economic recovery,” Quesada said.

The Justice Department did not identify any specific industries but noted that supply chain disruptions have impacted a variety of sectors ranging from agriculture to health care.

It said it would “proactively investigate collusion in industries particularly affected by supply disruptions”.

The Justice Department also said it has formed a working group focusing on global supply chain collusion with government partners in Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. “The working group is developing and sharing intelligence, utilising existing international cooperation tools, to detect and combat collusive schemes,” it said.